Time and Tide
by BrDPirateMan
Summary: The official sequel to Rekindled Flames. Neku and Shiki spend a romantic weekend away at a secluded beach. Needless to say, their beach vacation soon takes on a delicious flavour... Rated M for strong sexual scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**Time and Tide (Part 1)  
><strong>by BrDPirateMan

"Shiki, are you free this weekend?"

"Yeah, I've got nothing on my schedule. Why do you ask, Neku?"

The young man cleared his throat. "Well… do you still like camping?"

The eyes of the youthful woman flashed with joy behind trendy glasses. "Do I ever. It's kind of exciting, staying in the great outdoors."

"I agree. So… uh, I was wondering… since we still have some time before I head back to the States for my next semester, why don't we do just that? Camping, I mean."

Shiki took a sip out of her soda and enjoyed the cool taste down her gullet. She was enjoying a sweet date at an outdoor café with the love of her life. "We're going camping this weekend, huh? Where?" Her curiosity was like a burning flame, bright and eager.

A smile played about on Neku's lips when he saw how interested his girlfriend was. "I found this nice place near the rural outskirts… Do you remember where we went for our first camping trip?"

Her cheeks were flushed with intense redness as she recalled the events that happened at that time. "Of… Of course! It was in the forest… and it was a beautiful place in more ways than one."

Neku was blushing too. "Well, where we're going is some way off from there, but not in a forest. It's actually this secluded beach. I figured it'd be nice to have a taste of the ocean breeze and watch the waves roll in."

"Oh gosh, that sounds wonderful," gushed Shiki, cupping her mouth in delight, following up with vivid descriptions culled from her imagination. "The sands must look splendid in the moonlight at night. And if it's secluded like you say, we can have it all to ourselves."

"Exactly! We don't need to worry about rules and regulations and curfews. It's the perfect place to unwind without worrying about anything."

"I'm so in!" squealed Shiki, "It's been a long time since our last camping trip and I desperately need some fresh air in my system. I've been cooped up in this city for way too long and, just for a little while, I'd like to feel free."

Neku agreed completely. "Me too. Alright, later on I'll give you more details about this trip. Until then, you might wanna gear up on the usual."

"Mental and physical preparation," she giggled mischievously, "Got it."

Neku let out a whistle. "Oh yeah… We'll need it."

He reached out to hold her hand, and she gladly grasped onto it. The warmth from their hands was soft and comforting. From the eyes of an onlooker it might have seemed like a very calm and romantic date. But the anticipation of what the young lovers were going to do over the weekend made their hearts flutter like they were still nervous teenagers about to confess to each other.

Yes… it was going to be another sweet memory in the making.

XOXOXOXOXO

Friday came round and both Neku and Shiki were more than ready to go on another romantic escapade. The train ride to the outskirts was largely uneventful, but as they left the familiar city behind them and more greenery appeared to greet their jaded eyes, they couldn't help but be impressed by how beautiful nature was. Outdoors, it was less oppressive than the bustling city of Shibuya.

Several stations later they reached their destination. It had been about two years since their first and last camping trip, and Shiki vaguely remembered the village that they had stopped by to purchase more food and supplies. The wooden houses weren't in the best of conditions, but at least they weren't decrepit and were still holding up nicely.

"The huts sure look cosy," she commented, "but I've been too used to the city life to want to stay in one for the rest of my days."

"Heh," snorted Neku, "Same goes for me."

Their proposed camping site was within walking distance, so off they went on foot. They had travelled light, so even walking with their backpacks wasn't difficult. And though the one with the larger burden was Neku, who was carrying the tent among other things, he felt fine save for the occasional sting in his shoulder.

They had to pass through the forest in order to get to the beach, and walking through with bands of sunlight shining through the canopy brought back memories.

"Our first camping spot was somewhere here, I remember," said Shiki, looking off to her right.

Neku nodded. "It is. Remember how it went?"

She blushed deeply. It was there that the two of them had, for the first time, indulged in something far more enjoyable than anything they had done in their lives… _Very_ enjoyable.

"Why, naturally," she breathed, "I can remember every detail to this day."

"If we camp back there it'll be like taking a stroll down memory lane."

"Yeah… By the way, are you sure we're going in the right direction?"

He pointed at the ground, gesturing at what looked like the barely-recognisable remnants of a dirt path. "Positive. I've checked it out, and if we just follow this route, we'll get there in about another ten minutes."

"Think you can carry me there?" giggled Shiki.

He laughed heartily into the crisp forest air. "Sadly, if I do that, I wouldn't have any energy for anything afterwards."

Eventually they broke through the edge of the forest and suddenly it was a completely different world on the other side. The strong burst of sunlight that enveloped them robbed them of their sight for a few moments, but when their eyes readjusted the most gorgeous sight lay before them.

It was the beach that Neku had mentioned so enthusiastically. The sand was a uniform beige colour, and so serenely smooth that it looked like a carpet. The coastline stretched as far as the eye could see, and the ocean was crystal-clear and sparkling like a sea of watery diamonds. The sun shone wide and bright in a cloudless sky. The beach scenery was the most amazing sight Shiki had laid her eyes on.

"Oh my goodness!" she gasped, "It's… It's…"

"Lovely?"

"Yes! This is… This is perfect!"

"So glad you like it," chuckled Neku, squeezing her arm affectionately. "Come on, let's set up camp and then we're free to do anything we like."

"Could we go for a swim first?" Shiki asked, with barely-contained excitement. "I need to wash off all this icky sweat. Then we can set up camp."

"Well… I don't know…" he drawled, unsure of what to do, "…but I _am_ feeling sweaty. Still, I think it might be best to pitch our tent first, so… Flip a coin?"

"You got any double-headed coins on you, Neku?" Shiki joked, "I'll call heads."

XOXOXOXOXO

"Can I turn around now, Shiki?"

"No, not yet," she called from behind Neku, "and don't you dare look! I'm still changing."

"Is it that hard to put on a bikini?" he sniggered, "I can help you."

She said nothing but laughed it off, struggling with tying the knot behind her bikini top before tightening her bottom piece for the third time to make sure it wouldn't fall off her hips.

It didn't take a lot of persuasion from Shiki to convince Neku to go for a swim first. But because the tent had not been set up yet, there was no place to change in privacy. However, that proved to be a minor problem, if at all, seeing as being naked in front of each other was second nature for them by now. But they made it a point to turn away from each other while changing, not because they were being thoughtful, but because they didn't want to be overcome by too much lust. Now wasn't the right time for _that_.

No, that would have to come later. Much later.

Despite Shiki's warnings, Neku couldn't resist stealing a quick glance at her. He treasured those few voyeuristic seconds as he watched his unsuspecting girlfriend readjust her bikini bottom, toying around with the flimsy-looking string and knotting it. For someone who used to think of herself as an ugly duckling, her body was startlingly perfect, and to Neku, she seemed to be growing sexier with every day he spent with her, in bed or otherwise.

_God_, he thought, _she's such a babe_.

They wasted no time running for the water, kicking up fine sand under their feet as they ran. The water was cool, just the right temperature as it cleansed away their perspiration. And it was extremely revitalizing.

Shiki was laughing from the feeling of freedom as she engrossed herself in the water's soothing touch on her skin.

"Neku, this is amazing!" she called.

"I know, right?"

She dived into the water and emerged with a splash, crying out, "Ahhh…! Heavenly!"

Neku watched, spellbound, as she pulled her slick wet hair over her head. She had a wide smile and her eyes were closed to relish the satisfaction of cooling down in the summer heat.

That was when he suddenly had a flashback. His mind brought him back to two years ago, when they had camped in the forest behind them. They had taken a swim in the river that was flowing deep in the forest, and it was incredibly fun and relaxing. Interestingly enough, that very river led to the ocean they were now bathing in, making it seem like the past and present were connected. The way she peeled her drenched locks away from her pretty face… it was exactly like what she did those two years ago… Scattered bits of conversation shared between the two of them blazed inside his head at disjointed yet still relevant intervals.

_Shiki was enjoying herself thoroughly as she splashed around in the cold river. "Love it! I feel like a new person!" She ran her hands through her hair and huffed with joy as rivulets of fresh river water cascaded down her body._

"_Hey Shiki," Neku said, "Wanna make a bet?"_

_That bet he had come up with on a particularly lustful whim, but though she was slightly disgusted by his forthrightness, she was game. She willingly stripped naked in front of him, and that proved to be the beginning of more passionate days together. After he successfully seduced her, she reciprocated his want for fleshly desires…_

…_and the two made wild love on the forest floor like Adam and Eve._

Ever since the fateful day they lost their virginity, things were never quite the same again, but in a good way. They had become very close and virtually nothing could tear them apart.

Unable to restrain his urges any longer, Neku took a dive into the water and stealthily resurfaced behind Shiki, whereupon he gently embraced her, arms encircling her waist.

Caught by surprise, the first thing she yelped was her boyfriend's name. At the same time, he planted a kiss on her neck, sucking the water off. It was slightly salty and he regretted doing that, but the effect this had on her made this worth it.

Her cheeks grew redder by the second as his hands crept their way slowly up her taut abdomen, seeking warm tender flesh.

"Neku…" she grunted, "Nuhh… Aah…"

His fingertips were unrelenting, missing not a single bit of her skin. He gently massaged her ribs. She squirmed under his touch, but made no effort to break away. That was when he knew she liked it. He grazed her skin some more, and her own hands rested atop his, guiding him to the right spots.

There in the water they stayed afloat, senses heightened from pleasure. They didn't do anything else. Just him touching her and her enjoying his touch. But even when they didn't degrade into other… "activities", they felt so very good.

One of Neku's hands dug ever so slightly down the front of Shiki's bikini bottom, eliciting a cry from the girl as he tickled her between the legs. The other hand snaked its way underneath her top, his fingers prying beneath the lycra and feeling the firmness of her breast. He traced his tongue all over her neck. She almost went crazy but managed to maintain some form of sanity.

"Oh…! Neku, you… Ah…!"

She felt so good. But then he caressed her for less than half a minute before he came to an abrupt stop, leaving her high and dry all of a sudden.

"Uh… Neku?" said a confused Shiki.

"Sorry," he chuckled into her ear, "but there's a time and place for everything. This is fun, but I'd rather wait until later for more."

Shiki was surprisingly cooperative, and though she was a little disappointed, she retained some humour. "Alright, I'll let you go this time. You still have to do something about that tent after all, right? Need my help?"

Neku declined her offer politely and graciously. "It's alright. It's only been five minutes since you started swimming, so go ahead and swim as much as you like. I'll have the tent ready in a jiffy."

"You sure? The tent looks cumbersome, at least to me…"

"Leave it to me." He turned her around to face him and kissed her on the lips before he swam back to shore. The taste of Neku Sakuraba lingered in her mouth long after they broke away… a most delicious taste.

As his feet found footing once more in the sand and he walked back, Shiki gazed at his lean but wiry frame and sighed to herself, "He's such a cool guy… I'm glad he's my boyfriend."

XOXOXOXOXO

Shiki took her sweet time lazing about in the ocean, and by the time she was done, Neku had long finished with the tent. It stood proudly a good distance from the shore, like a famous landmark in a busy city. She returned to the beach just in time to see him, still in his trunks, emerge from the forest with a pile of tree branches in his arms.

"Collecting wood for the fire, huh?" she said, vigorously rubbing her hair dry with a blue towel.

"Yup," he said, dropping the branches in front of the tent. "Enjoyed your swim?"

She smiled. "It's not the same without you, Neku."

His face was sunny from hearing that. "Yeah, maybe we could have another swim later. Not now, of course, but later… say, tonight?"

Shiki gasped at how potentially risqué his suggestion was. "Swimming in the moonlight? Oh gosh, Neku… that sounds like a lot of fun… not to mention romantic. Yes, let's do that. I'd _love_ to."

"Then it's settled. When the sun goes down and the moon is up," said Neku poetically, "we'll descend into the waters and be one with nature."

"You could make a great poet… if you could make your sayings rhyme in the first place!"

He just chuckled softly and gave her another quick peck before returning to the forest to look for more wood. Without bothering to change, Shiki followed him, still scantily-clad in her bikini. "Let me help you, Neku."

Although Neku gladly allowed her to come along, she had an ulterior motive of sorts for tagging along. She had other ideas in mind… Other ideas…

In the forest, where both past memories and unburied feelings lurked, the two resumed their search for more wood, staying close to one another and making small talk.

"Neku, I just thought of something," said Shiki.

"Hmmm?"

"And, um… I hate to talk about something like this when we're having fun at the beach, but…" She paused, mentally debating whether to continue or drop the topic.

"Well, what is it?"

Feeling that it wasn't appropriate, she elected to let the matter die down. "Nothing. It's nothing."

However, this only made Neku more curious. In fact, he started to insist that she talk about it, although he was gentle in doing so. "It's alright, Shiki. Just tell me what's on your mind. Go on… I wouldn't bite."

"Um… okay, well…" Shiki took a deep breath before talking. "Neku… I'm really sorry to ask this but I'm curious. Why… Why did you used to hate people so much?"

Hearing this, his face grew a slight frown, as though he wasn't prepared to give an answer. Shiki saw this and wasn't too sure if it was out of annoyance or even bitterness, so she quickly apologized. "Y-You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to!" she stammered, frantically waving both her arms in a "never mind about it" gesture. "I'm sorry! If… If I had known that this is something you don't wish to talk about, I wouldn't have asked… sorry…"

"What are you apologizing for, dummy?" chided Neku good-naturedly. "For you, I don't mind talking about anything. But are you sure you wanna listen?"

"You don't… mind?"

"Shiki, you're my best friend and also the person I love. You're the one I'm most comfortable with, so I don't mind sharing my deepest secrets with you."

"Neku… I…" She was starting to blush, getting slightly overwhelmed by his words.

"So… ready for a story?"

Hesitantly, she nodded. Neku motioned her to sit down on a patch of clean grass; conveniently, it was in the shade of a tree. They sat side by side, with Shiki fixing her owlish brown-eyed gaze on her lover's handsome face, curious to know his tale.

"Well…" he began, "there was actually a good reason for my hatred for everyone… Simply put, I was always being bullied when I was younger."

Shiki gulped. In her whole life, she had been bullied – maybe once or twice – but not so much that it would make her develop an intense hate for the whole world. Neku's situation must have been an extreme case, and she was right.

"I was never one to fit in with my classmates," continued Neku, "I was always the odd one out, the fish that was always floundering about, out of the water. Everyone picked on me… At first, I didn't understand. I was friendly, and even nice… I went out of my way to make friends, too. But they saw me as a target. Don't know until now how that works."

He felt her hand on his arm, comforting him silently. It made him feel better talking about his dark, torturous past. "Always came home moody and sometimes I cried too. My parents always transferred me to different schools, every year… but the result was always the same. I never could make any friends.

"It was hell. Really, it was.

"But I was still a kid and I wasn't very smart. I didn't realize the reason I was bullied until much later… or so I thought I did."

He released an uncomfortably stifled breath through clenched teeth, making a low hissing sound. Shiki grasped his arm tighter, sensing his growing unease, but said not a single word. She just listened.

"I felt that it was because they knew about me that they decided to bully me. So I figured that if I kept my distance, and no one knew a thing about me, then… they wouldn't pick on me. I mean, logically speaking, you wouldn't want to bully a stranger, right? You might end up in big trouble.

"It was just before my very first year in high school that I realized this. I pushed everyone away, so that they wouldn't get a chance to know me. It was really hard, but after a while I got used to the lone wolf thing.

"And what do you know, even though I had no friends… I also had no enemies. Frankly, I was surprised how well it all worked out."

Shiki spoke up at long last. "So then you thought it was the best way to go and you became… well, anti-social ever since then?"

Neku sighed sadly. "Yes. Soon, I eventually convinced myself that everyone was terrible. I put on a brave, no-nonsense front to intimidate people and make them think twice about approaching me. But it was all a façade. The truth is, I was scared.

"When I was reincarnated with you and everyone, and I went back to high school… I was still scared. The Reapers' Game had changed me so much but if getting to know people would make me end up getting hurt, then I was afraid that I might revert back to my old self. And I didn't want that!"

He let Shiki snuggle up to him to help alleviate the years of emotional suffering he had to deal with over his life. "But that's all over now… and I'm fine. And that's the whole story."

When he peered at her face, he was surprised to see how wet her eyes were with tears unshed.

"Wh-Why are you crying, Shiki?"

"You poor thing," she sniffled, "I'm so sorry to hear about this. I made you talk about a painful past… But I never knew that this was the real reason. I had always thought you were being irrational when you used to hate people. But when you say it like this…" She gulped and looked away momentarily. "…I can… kind of understand."

Neku was moved by her willingness to listen and comprehend a little more of his psyche. "Shiki…"

"All you wanted was to have friends whom you could have some fun with, without having to worry about whether you'll get bullied in the end."

"That's right…"

"Staying so distant is still no good at the end of the day, though," she said, wiping her eyes and burying her head in the crook of his neck, "so all in all, I'm glad you got the paradigm shift you've always needed."

"I only changed because of you, Shiki. So… thank you. And sorry."

"Sorry?" Shiki was puzzled. "Sorry for what?"

"For being so mean to you in the Reapers' Game," replied Neku, hanging his head in shame, "I… realized only just now that I haven't even apologized to you about that. Heck, I even tried to kill you. What was I thinking? And let's not forget –"

His words were cut off when Shiki pressed her lips against his. Intoxicated by her warmth and overflowing kindness, he allowed himself to savour the honeyed dance of their mouths. They kissed for a good while before she broke away on her own.

"Neku…" she whispered, "I've long forgiven you. Don't beat yourself up about it anymore…"

"Shiki, I…"

"I'll always be your friend, Neku. And so will Beat, Rhyme and Eri. As well as all your other friends in college and from high school. So I want you to be happy. If you're happy, then so am I."

Recalling how he had to comfort Shiki and raise her low self-esteem back in the Reapers' Game, and how their situation was now reversed, he saw the irony of the entire thing and laughed, a pure happy laugh.

"You just made me realize how stupid I was all this time," he said, with a broad smile that melted her heart. "Thank you, Shiki."

"You're welcome, Neku… You're always welcome."

Both of them stood up together. "Okay, now that that's settled, it's time to get back to collecting firewood. Shall we?"

Shiki hesitated, staring at him.

"Um… Shiki? What's wrong?"

She held him by the arms. "I'm sorry, Neku. But firewood will have to wait for a bit."

"Huh?"

Before he realized what was happening, Shiki launched herself at him, their mouths colliding together. She sucked and chewed his lips brutally. Amid the confusion he found himself being pushed back against the tree they were sitting under earlier. His back scraped against the rough bark and he was thus cornered, unable to move as she continued to assault his lips with a barrage of heated kisses.

She eventually stopped kissing him, but even when he was in a total daze, it didn't stop her from making one single demand: "Neku… make love to me."

"Sh-Shiki? But I… We should…"

"Please…" she drawled in a hushed, come-hither voice, "I want you to be happy. I want _us_ to be happy."

He watched, entranced, as she reached behind her back to untie the knots behind her top. He gulped as she let it come away from her breasts which then spilled forth in all their glory.

"Neku…"

"Uh…"

"Excited yet?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but…" _…now's not the time for this yet_, he wanted to say, but the words never made it out.

Shiki pushed her well-shaped bosom against Neku's chest, her mammary orbs squashing and yielding satisfyingly. It knocked the breath out of his lungs and this was seriously getting him aroused, but he tried his best to keep cool under pressure.

"Like it?" she purred, rubbing against him purposefully.

Neku was panting from the ungodly feeling of his girlfriend's tender breasts on his bare skin. "Ooh… Damn, Shiki… You… You've gotta stop before we…"

Ignoring his weak protests, she loosened the knots that held her bikini bottom together. It detached beautifully and slid down her hips and slender legs, joining her top on the forest floor.

With a burst of courage she grabbed Neku's trunks and yanked them downwards, exposing his turgid manhood to her. She never liked looking at… certain… organs, but she didn't really care right now.

"I want you, Neku," said Shiki, moistening her lips seductively with her tongue, "and you want me. Let us both achieve happiness…"

"Whoa, um… Shiki, you're awfully, uh, aggressive today…"

"I'm only doing this for our growth as a loving couple," she retorted, "Now… be a good boy and don't move. All you need to do is lay back and relax…"

Neku saw that she was going to mount herself on him. As much as he would have liked her to do that, however, he strongly disagreed against it. He had bigger plans for both of them, and doing this now might ruin the momentum. Harnessing as much inner strength as he could, he grabbed her hips and held her safely away from his throbbing shaft, keeping her at bay.

Initially, when he did that, Shiki thought he was going to take the initiative and pull her towards him, but when nothing happened, she became cross.

"Neku, what are you doing?" she hissed.

"I'm sorry, Shiki…" he gulped, frightened that she might slap him for refusing to make love to her. "But… I can't. Not now."

"Wh-Why? This is such a romantic time and place for something like this. Let me through!" She struggled to wrest his grip off of her hips but she wasn't strong enough. She remained frustratingly apart from him.

He tried to laugh her slightly foul mood away, albeit without much success. "Shiki," he explained himself slowly and carefully, "I'm really glad that you love me, I really am. And I love you too. Believe me, under normal circumstances, I'd have gladly surrendered."

"Th-Then why wouldn't you?"

"Because I have something planned for the two of us tonight, and I don't want to spoil it by giving in to our desires right now." Sensing that her anger had settled down, he brought one hand to her cheek, which served to calm her further. "I just want to create some fond new memories with you. Rest assured you'll enjoy it."

"What is it?" asked Shiki. "Can you tell me?"

Neku shook his head smilingly. "Wouldn't want to ruin it now… Please be patient."

She glared at him for a little while before uttering a "hmph" in defeat and disappointment. "Alright, Neku… If you say that what you have in store for me is going to be great, I'll wait for tonight…"

Neku hastily pulled up his trunks while Shiki half-heartedly picked her discarded bikini off the ground. "Nevertheless, I'm sorry for stopping you like this, Shiki. So after tonight, if you really want, we can finish this off."

She snorted in amusement. "Well, that's nice to know…"

Now in a better mood, she even let him tie the knots on her top while she worked on reattaching her bikini bottom. Then they went back to scouring the ground for firewood, their earlier sexual tension dissipated and forgotten.

He was glad that he had handled the situation well enough. Then again, he realized, the fact that Shiki was patient and forgiving had something to do with it. She was the perfect girlfriend, and he loved her tremendously. That was why he couldn't afford to waste this opportunity for a killer night by being rash.

After all, she meant so much to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Time and Tide (Part 2)  
><strong>by BrDPirateMan

Shiki's failure to seduce Neku in the forest had the unforeseen effect of leaving her with a burning question to ponder over for the rest of the day.

_What is Neku planning for me?_ she thought to herself. _He's always had a knack for surprises. If he is anything to go by, it's something to look forward to._

But waiting for something that was slated to happen at night was torture. After all, it was only morning! She had never wanted it to be dusk so quickly. The wait would prove agonizing.

With time, however, she calmed down. As she busied herself with the day's activities she tossed the mysterious plan for the night to the back of her head. She was here to enjoy her time with Neku, not get agitated for no good reason.

In the morning, the couple set about making their temporary love nest as comfortable as possible. It was Friday today and they would be here for three days and two nights, returning to Shibuya by Sunday evening. It didn't sound like a lot of time at all, but she was grateful that they even took time off at all for their very special weekend.

Normally, they wouldn't even have any time to themselves. They were both college students but were studying in different universities, or to be precise, different countries. Shiki elected to stay in Japan to study fashion design at a Japanese institution that was well-known for churning out graduates who would later become very famous people in the field of fashion. Neku, on the other hand, chose graphic design as his major, but his parents insisted that he take his degree in the United States, where they felt the university they had him enrolled in was of much higher quality than the ones found in Japan.

So between the two lovers and their excessive workloads, they didn't have a lot of free time. While their semesters were underway, the only way they could get in touch was by e-mail or IM. But even their first semesters were brimming with coursework, so flexibility with their schedules was at a premium. There was many a time when they couldn't contact each other for as long as one whole week.

…Well, for them, one week was a long time indeed. If the laws of time and space (and money) allowed it, they'd talk every single day.

Instead of whining for the rest of their time on this camping trip, Shiki told herself to grab every opportunity and use it well. She helped Neku to lay out the sleeping bags inside the tent. She volunteered to be their chef and was in charge of cooking their simple yet filling lunches. And when the pot and utensils were washed and cleared away, she spent time talking with Neku about everything in general.

Life was good.

The afternoon rolled in and the heat made the beach feel more like a desert. The sand was so hot it felt more like glowing red coals. Staying in the tent was no option either because it was like an oven inside. They opted to retreat to the very edge of the forest where they could sit in the shade of the trees and find some respite from the heat.

Shiki had her legs tucked against her chest and her arms resting lazily on her knees. "Man, what a scorcher. I know it's summer but it's a bit too much, isn't it?"

Even when they were in the relatively cooler shade, the heat still got to him. Neku was sweating buckets. "Yeah… we brought along normal clothes to wear when we're not swimming, but…"

"…it looks like our swimwear will have to be our normal wear for this weekend, huh?"

"Ha ha ha… If I had known, I wouldn't have packed all those T-shirts in."

Shiki grinned. "Me too. Didn't think it'd come to this though. Our summers were almost never this hot… Um, would you mind if I wore bikinis for three days straight?"

"What, me?" chortled Neku. "Do I look like I'd mind?"

"Then… can I?" Her mischievous smile grew wider as she edged closer and laid her head on his shoulder lovingly.

"Why not? I'm going to have to wear trunks the whole time too. Both of us might as well dress for the occasion."

"You're funny."

"Really?"

"And perverted," sniggered Shiki, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Says the one who stripped naked and pulled my trunks off."

"Neku!" She slapped him on the arm playfully, blushing as she remembered how embarrassingly forceful she was mere hours earlier. She _did_ try to have a nice round of sex with him… leaning against a tree no less… But it was only human instinct. There was nothing wrong with it now, was there?

"Well, you're free to do what you like as long as you're happy," said Neku cheerily, stroking her cheek with his palm, "but I need tonight to be extra special, so just refrain from doing anything too crazy."

"Easy for you to say!"

Even while she was talking, however, she was growing sleepy. The trek through the forest on such a hot day must have taken its toll on her and tired her out, even though her backpack wasn't all that heavy. Her eyelids were getting heavier.

"Mmm… Neku," she mumbled, "is it okay if I take a nap?"

"If you want to catch some Z's," said Neku, "I suggest you don't use the tent. Seriously, it's like a sauna inside. You'd have to be crazy to go inside; it's too hot."

"I know… But where should I sleep?"

"I could bring my sleeping bag out here in the shade so you can use it as a mattress, if you like."

"That's a splendid idea."

Neku fished his sleeping bag out of the horrifyingly warm tent and laid it on the thinning grass. Shiki promptly lay down on it, though she didn't tuck herself beneath the covers as it was pointless to do so in the hot weather.

"Wake me in an hour, will ya?" she yawned.

"Sure. Sweet dreams, sleeping beauty." He planted a kiss on her forehead, causing her to smile as she fell into a deep sleep.

With nothing else to do, Neku whipped out his MP3 player and started listening to his favourite songs as he sat down near his sleeping girlfriend, keeping watch over her protectively.

XOXOXOXOXO

Unknowingly, Neku himself had dozed off too. When he awoke, a dull pain spread across his neck. It wasn't a wise thing to sleep sitting up. He was also oblivious to the fact that his MP3 player had finished playing all of its songs and had fallen silent.

_Wait a minute_, he thought, _my player doesn't stop playing; it cycles through all the songs repeatedly._

He flicked the "on" switch, and when it didn't respond, it occurred to him that the batteries had run dry. Much to his chagrin, he remembered something: that he forgotten to pack in fresh batteries. And he had constantly told himself while packing to include them in his backpack! In a way, he remembered that he forgot to remember. He grumbled at his bad luck, but nothing else could be done.

About one and a half hours had gone by and the afternoon, while still hot, had grown more tolerable. Shiki had asked him to wake her up at around this time, so he whispered in her ear to try and rouse her from her sleep.

"Shiki, wake up. Shiki…"

No response. It was always like her to sleep soundly, and usually a lot of effort was required to get her to wake up. This would prove to be no exception. He heaved an exasperated sigh when he shook her lightly at first, then harder, but yielded no positive results. What could he do to wake the sleeping human log?

He was about to consider yelling in her ear when an idea suddenly struck upon him. A delicious idea.

Gazing at her beautiful half-naked form, he could see how vulnerable she was. And if nothing could wake her, then he was free to… experiment with all sorts of things until she did wake up. A great number of weird fantastical thoughts began to manifest themselves in his head, none safe enough to mention in daily conversation.

Oh yes, Neku was going to have himself some fun…

He grazed his fingers across her arm to establish a yardstick on how she would react to touch, and she didn't even stir in her sleep. He drew his index finger lightly along the slope of her neck, hoping to tickle her, but again she was blissfully motionless. Even when he tapped lightly at her nose, surprisingly or perhaps not surprisingly, nothing happened.

Clearly amused, he began to try other unorthodox methods…

His hand found its way on top of one of her breasts, and at first, all he did was caress it lightly, enjoying how smooth and tight her chest felt cradled within her bikini top. Then, very gently, he squeezed it, wondering if she would notice. Needless to say, the sensation of touching her breasts never got old for him; it was a fantastic feeling. There was hardly any guilt at all because he knew that both of them were very comfortable with each other even when they were completely naked. After all, they had made amazing love a good number of times over the course of their relationship.

He ran his hand everywhere along her bare tummy, as well as up and down the hips. Nothing he did could coax her out of her deep slumber. Neku chuckled at how much he could get away with his increasingly bold actions. Even though they had known each other for ages, her ability to sleep so soundly never ceased to amaze him. It was almost like a fine addition to the many mysteries of the world. Why, she could even have her own place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

At last he even went so far as to massage her between the legs, although it was through the cloth of her bottom piece. He wasn't rough with her. He twirled his fingers this way and that, hoping to at least induce a moan or two.

Nothing worked. She didn't wake up. Apart from her breathing, she could very well be mistaken as a corpse. What was he supposed to do? Kiss her on the cheek like Prince Charming did to Sleeping Beauty?

Wait… he hadn't tried that yet. It was worth a shot.

Amazingly, when he pecked her cheek, she groaned and woke up. He gaped in astonishment. What was the logic behind this? He could call her name over and over again and caress her everywhere but nothing would happen. And although he knew better than to test the theory, he could have sex with her while she was sleeping and she would be none the wiser… But kiss her on the cheek and she would inexplicably wake up, nice and easy. Of all the craziest things in the world…

Shiki yawned and rubbed the fuzz out of her eyes. "Neku? What time is it?"

"Wh-What time? Oh!" He fumbled to look at his wristwatch. "Just past 4 pm."

She said nothing and sat up, but quickly noticed how Neku was staring at her with a quizzical look on his face.

She trained her gaze at him suspiciously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all…"

Neku thought it best to just lay low and stay quiet about the whole thing. It simply wouldn't do to have her know that he was playing with her body while she was sleeping and unaware…

XOXOXOXOXO

A cluster of puffy clouds had appeared in the sky, partially blocking out the sun. Now that the weather was much more agreeable, Shiki had decided to take the opportunity to work on a nice tan. She invited Neku to join her, and while he wasn't really a fan of sunbathing, it wasn't like he had anything to do at the moment.

The couple laid down on separate blankets, next to each other, immobile like rocks as they soaked up precious sunlight. They exchanged friendly banter, occasionally jabbing playful jibes at each other.

"Heard the latest?" said Shiki. "Eri's found a new boyfriend."

Neku was incredulous. "Seriously? That girl is always changing boyfriends, but… didn't she start dating her last boyfriend only three months ago?"

"Apparently, he was a bit of a jerk, so she dumped him."

"Oh boy… well, at least she's found love again. So who's the lucky guy?"

Shiki pushed the bridge of her sunglasses further up her nose. "Someone she met at a mixer. Apparently he's a student working part-time at some engineering company. They hit it off pretty well."

Neku snickered. "Heh… She can hit it off with anyone, it'd seem."

"Yeah, that's how she is. Compared to her, we were so awkward when we first confessed to each other. She just grabs someone and they're as good as going out!"

"Aren't you concerned, Shiki? She seems rather careless to me… What if she picked up a creepy guy?"

"I am a bit worried, to be honest…" she sighed, "but she'll be alright, I guess…"

"At least we don't have this problem," Neku said, turning to Shiki with a smile on his face.

"Yeah… true love…"

How long has it been since their first meeting in the Reapers' Game? About three years…? It wasn't love at first sight, no… far from that. They hated each other, but when their personalities mellowed and they changed for the better, it would be the start of better things.

If someone had told Shiki during the beginning of the Reapers' Game that the then-terrible Neku Sakuraba would end up as her longtime boyfriend, she wouldn't have believed it. She would have spat at the very thought of going out with such a vile person. But fate is a strange and wonderful thing, and now, blissfully together, they were more interested in necking than pecking, making love rather than making war.

Speaking of making love, Shiki felt an uncontrollable itch in her heart. Slowly but surely, lust was eating away at her sanity, and looking at Neku's fantastic body didn't help matters at all. He had told her to abstain from sex till tonight, but she feared that she wouldn't be able to cope.

One more look at his fabulous toned muscles and that was all it took for her to snap. She wanted gratification and she wanted it now.

Neku was minding his own business, eyelids firmly shut. The sunny goodness his body was absorbing enveloped him in an unchanging warmth and left him in a peaceful Zen-like trance. Maybe sunbathing wasn't so boring as he thought it was.

Through his eyelids all he could see a uniform redness that was the sun shining strongly down on his eyes. Suddenly, the redness faded to black. Something was blocking out the sun. When he opened his eyes to look…

"Shiki?" His heart stopped.

There she was, on all fours above his body. Not a single thread of cloth on her; obviously, she had taken off her bikini again. Carnal fire was burning up her body, baking all good sense to crispy perfection. He could only stare at her, confused and rather alarmed.

"Neku…" she whispered dangerously, tossing away her sunglasses, "come on… you and me…"

"Whoa, hold on, Shiki," gulped Neku. "We did agree to wait until tonight…"

"I can't wait anymore." She traced lingering circles on his chest with her moist tongue, an action that had a profound effect on him. Despite his reluctance to get it on with her, a certain muscle of his was slowly twitching to life. He desperately willed it to calm down and return to normal, but nothing he did helped.

"Shiki, that's really naughty of you," he groaned, "but I don't want to do this right now…"

"Too bad… I'm afraid I'm going to have to disobey."

She grasped the band of his trunks in both hands. Neku was shocked that she had the audacity to pull them off for the second time in a single day especially when he clearly told her not to. Leaving his trunks curled up at his knees to render him immobile, Shiki was delighted at the sight of his fully exposed body and how superbly erect he was. Even though he had a strong will, he was still a normal guy at the end of the day… And no man could resist the charms of the woman he loved.

"Oh, Neku… I'm so sorry about this," she growled sexily, "but I _am_ going to get what I want."

"Sh-Shiki, you can't…"

Hearing him plead for mercy made her feel powerful. She was usually the one who was passive in their relationship. In bed she was almost always beneath him, and while she didn't mind and in fact loved the feeling of being trapped while he performed miracles on her body, being on top was a nice refreshing change. She was tempted to laugh and torment him some more, but her own needs were far more urgent.

She reached down for his rock-hard length with one hand while she stabilized her upper body above him with the elbow of her free arm. Once she flipped it skywards, straight up at her eager moist opening, she began to bodily lower herself…

Much to her glee, he embraced her with both arms. _Yes!_ she whooped deliriously in her mind, _He finally sees the light! I'm so sorry, Neku. I know you've got a surprise waiting for me but the suspense is literally killing me._

But before she could finish the job, Neku summoned the strength of ten men and spun both of them around in the blink of an eye, wrestling her onto her back so that he regained the upper hand. He had kicked away his trunks in the process, so even though he was still precariously naked, at least his legs weren't bound and he had more freedom.

Shiki was amazed by his muscular abilities. She knew he worked out in the States but this was the first time she saw proof of his newfound strength. Dazed and impressed, all she could do was utter a quiet, "Wow." She didn't mind being underneath him once again, not at all… not as long as she got some action in. Looking at him hovering above her in such close proximity, poised to attack and bring her glorious pleasure, filled her heart with anticipation.

However, her happiness was marred when Neku sighed in slight annoyance, "Impatient again, Shiki?"

"Huh?" She was confused by his change of attitude. "Aren't you going to… you know?"

"No," he said firmly, "I can't!"

He had placed her on her back so that she wouldn't be able to force him to enter her. Now that she understood his true intention, she became enraged and even more frustrated than before. But she had not lost this fight yet.

With lightning speed she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. Neku saw that his plan had backfired and now he was panicking, doing his very best to keep himself from coming into contact with her smooth hairless slit. Fighting in a desperate life-and-death struggle, neither wanted to capitulate to the other, but for different reasons.

"Neku!" she seethed, "why are you holding me back? I need this!"

He saw that he was losing the battle as he watched himself get lowered slowly but surely, unable to fight back against her. "Not now… Shiki, dooooon't!"

"But I really want to make love right now! We haven't had any sex for two whole weeks!"

Sweat poured down his face. Much to his growing horror, his tip had now just touched her. In fact, it was neatly positioned right in the middle. Shiki could feel that rigid extremity of his tickling her down below and was growing insanely excited. Just when she was about to expend all of her energy in one final constriction of her legs to take him in, she stopped when she heard Neku's pleading words.

"Shiki, no, please… I just want tonight to be perfect!"

Suddenly she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. What was she doing? She was just satisfying her selfish desires and wants. By not even considering her lover's feelings, she realized that she was no better than a dirty old man. What she was trying to do… it was actually like attempted rape on her boyfriend, wasn't it?

She promptly let her legs fall to the sides harmlessly, freeing Neku from her embrace. He sat up in a crouching position beside her, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Had he not stopped her, he probably would have went ahead and done it with her, regardless of whatever.

Shiki scrunched her naked body up into a fetal position, a sure sign that she wasn't in a particularly great mood, though her anger was all but gone. She felt guilty instead, for attempting to force Neku into sex. She folded her arms on top of her knees and then buried her head in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Neku," she mumbled, traces of tears in her voice. "I shouldn't have done that… Now you're going to see me as a real pervert, aren't you? Because that's what I am."

Neku put his trunks back on and sidled up against her side. He consoled her as best as he could. "Shiki, the only reason you wanted so very much to make love is that you love me, not because you're a pervert or anything. It's human nature, after all."

"But… But this is…"

"Shiki." He raised her head by the chin, and they stared into each other's eyes. Then he leaned in and pressed their lips together. She slowly unraveled her body and wrapped her arms around his neck, but the kiss they shared was sweet and free of wanton lust.

"Neku… I…"

"Shiki, I love you. I wouldn't hate you for something so trivial."

"Trivial?" she gulped. "Wh-What I did was hardly trivial… But do you really… forgive me?"

"Like you have to ask," he replied with a kind smile.

"Oh, Neku…!" Overcome by relief and joy, she launched herself at him in a bear hug but he lost balance and fell over backwards. As a result, she ended up on top of him as she continued to hug him to pieces. Neku himself was growing slightly aroused again from the feeling of his girlfriend's bare body on his own, but graciously returned her affection, stroking her naked back lovingly.

"Neku, thank you," said Shiki, "I'm so glad you're my friend."

"Boyfriend to be exact," corrected Neku gently, "but no matter… I know what you mean."

"Hey, um, Neku?" Her heart was palpitating. "What's so special about tonight? Is there a reason?"

"There is, in fact, a very good reason, but… well, I'll tell you when the time comes."

"Okay then… Let's leave the lovemaking for tonight when you surprise me."

"My plan exactly…"

"But for now," she giggled sheepishly, "could we just kiss? Nothing horny though, don't worry."

"Alright… that sounds nice."

Neku and Shiki spent the next half hour making out very romantically. Even though she was still fully unclothed, she no longer had any weird thoughts and urges, and for that matter, neither did he. For them, being together was all that mattered now, and they were happy in each other's arms until the evening approached to paint the sky in breathtaking orange hues.


	3. Chapter 3

**Time and Tide (Part 3)  
><strong>by BrDPirateMan

The loving couple had dinner sitting next to each other, enjoying the picturesque sight of the evening sky. The clouds were strikingly beautiful to behold, and their shadows streaked across the heavens in a mesmerizing pattern. Together they watched on as the last few rays of sunlight dissolved like gold dust and the night rolled in seamlessly.

With dinner finished, the boy and girl continued to relish the sight before them: the birth of the night and the stars. Shiki hooked her arm around Neku's and nestled close to him.

She sighed, "There's nothing quite like appreciating nature at its best… in a romantic place like this."

"With your loved one," he added.

The moon shone down on her pretty face, and it made her look more alluring than normal. Neku couldn't resist bringing their lips together in a kiss filled with feelings of love and warm attachment.

Shiki gazed into his eyes. "How nice it would be if we could get married right here."

There was a hint of shock on his countenance. He had not expected her to say that.

"Oops," she muttered, "was it… too weird for you? I was just saying it as a… well… I was just throwing it out there."

"It's not weird at all, Shiki," said Neku, lightly brushing his knuckles against her cheek. "We do love each other, and I've always wondered what a life together would be like."

A great wave of warmth oozed onto her cheeks. "We may be in college, but we're still young. We don't really know what's in store for us if we marry, but… it's a nice thought."

"And there's the big question too…"

"W-Well, now's not the time for that!" stammered Shiki, "It's still too early, and I'm not even ready…" She turned towards the vast horizon, taking in the soothing roar of the ocean. "That said, though, I've always wondered what it must be like to walk down the aisle… Must be a rush, huh?"

Neku was strangely silent, making her think that she had either lost his interest or weirded him out completely. He could be aloof at times when he just wanted to chill and take a break from everything, but him not even responding got her worried. Did he not like to talk about marriage? Barely a few weeks ago, he had been at her apartment, and they had just had some glorious – if slightly tipsy – sex. They were lying in bed and he had asked her to marry him. Of course, it was all in jest and he wasn't being serious, but it didn't stop lovehearts from pouring through her system like adrenaline.

So why was he quiet all of a sudden?

Her fears were unfounded when he next spoke. "If you're curious, you could always find out…"

"Wh-What do you mean?"

He smiled at her, his features beautified by the glow of the moon. "Let's pretend we're at the aisle, in our own make-believe wedding… It'll be fun!"

Shiki brightened up. "You mean, we'll exchange our vows and everything?"

"Well, there's no master of ceremony to help us along, but yeah, we could always improvise!"

"Hee hee! I like the sound of that." She scrambled to her feet and skipped away to the tent. "I'll go get my scarf! It'll make a nice wedding veil!"

"That's a good idea!"

Brimming with excitement, Neku and Shiki made swift preparations for their impromptu wedding. She had brought along a large square scarf for the trip, with the intention of wearing it at some point as a sexy makeshift bikini top. Now it was a veil, coyly draped over her head and face. It had a colourful flower motif, and while it made it so unlike the pure white bridal veils used in church weddings, it seemed just right in the context of their beach vacation.

Near the shoreline they stood, facing each other with the waves lapping at their feet. Shiki giggled behind her veil, "This is like a scene from a movie, Neku."

"Only better, because it's happening in real life."

"Yeah…"

Neku paused. "You ready? I'm not entirely sure how the whole procedure goes, so forgive me if I'm wrong."

"Don't worry too much about getting it right," said Shiki kindly, "Just have fun."

Their wedding was not a real one, but there were butterflies in Neku's stomach. His hands couldn't stop trembling as he gingerly lifted the veil over Shiki's head, slowly revealing the face of his adorable blushing bride. He took in a sharp breath, completely entranced by her beauty. Yes, it was strange that his bride was wearing nothing save for a barely-there bikini, but she was so stunning that he was awestruck into a state of paralysis.

Another set of quiet giggles brought him back to earth. "Say, isn't this the part where we exchange vows?"

"Oh yeah… Hey, since there's no emcee, we're going to have to do it ourselves."

"Sure. I'll go first."

She cleared her throat and the way she took in a deep breath and let it out in a huff amused Neku considerably. "Do you, Neku Sakuraba, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

He smirked. "I do." Then it was his turn, "Do you, Shiki Misaki, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"…I may now kiss the bride."

"That's not how it goes, silly," laughed Shiki, who wrapped her arms around his neck. Neku strung his arms around the small of her back and pulled her towards him for a heartfelt romantic kiss to seal their marriage. Their hearts swelled with pride and joy. They were now one.

A long time seemed to have passed when at last they finished the kiss. Their eyes were filled with love for only each other and they were giving each other sappy smiles.

"I love you, Neku," said Shiki softly.

His lips were graced with a warm smile. "I love you too… And now, do you know what's next?"

"What?"

He whispered into her ear seductively. "The wedding night…"

Her heart skipped a beat as she understood. This was it. This was finally it! The moment she had been waiting for all day so impatiently had come.

They lost each other in a series of more ferocious kisses. Their hands caressed every part of each other's bodies. Shiki ran her fingers up and down his chest, turned on by the firm texture of his muscles. Neku drew his hand across her flawless back, so smooth and perfect like silk. He traced the outline of her hips, plucking lightly at the knots of her bikini bottom.

She nibbled at his jaw, moving down to his neck, licking his skin like a cat. She could tell from his arrested breath that he liked the feeling. Meanwhile, he was playing around with her top, playful fingers weaving beneath the string, threatening to loosen them.

Shiki's eyes were glazed over with longing as she breathed gently into his face in a tempting manner. "Neku… let's make love."

To her delight, he replied, "Yes, my bride… let's."

She dug her hands into his trunks and forced them off his waist, and they dropped to the ground at his feet. He untied the knots of her top and it slid away serenely to reveal her lovely breasts. Then slowly, suggestively, he pulled her bottom piece millimeter by millimeter, until it was slung obscenely low on her hips. She threw her scarf to one side and gazed at him heatedly, imploring him with her soulful eyes to go ahead and remove the one final thing on her that stood in their way. A few tugs at the drawstrings and her bikini bottom was thus relinquished.

The sight of the now-naked Shiki drove Neku over the edge. Clad in nothing as the moonlight kissed her bare skin, she stood there before him like a nervous deer, waiting for him to take her and make her feel _amazing_.

"Lie down," said Neku.

"You mean… here?"

"Yes… where the tide ebbs and wanes."

The idea of making love with the water splashing at their bodies was terribly exciting. She was in full agreement with his idea and laid down on the damp sand, legs pointing towards the vast black ocean. At that moment, a wave rolled in, and when it rushed up her legs and lapped gently at her opening, what felt like a jolt of electricity coursed through her body from the toes up. She gasped. The touch of the ocean was cool, refreshing and best of all, incredible.

Oh, it was so good and they hadn't even begun… Shiki wondered if she would last through the night without passing out in extreme pleasure.

Neku carefully parted her wet legs, taking the opportunity to massage the insides of her thighs and heighten her desires. She gulped when she saw his fingers approach and disappear inside her. Her body twitched from his electric touch as he slid them in and out with a slow but purposeful rhythm, spilling slick fluids around her crotch. She started panting and moaning, and Neku liked it. And when the next wave came ashore, it added to the surrealism of the experience as it washed and cleansed her. Her throat wrung out a louder moan, almost a scream.

He knelt down between her legs, after which he clambered on all fours on top of her. His length was wonderfully erect and pulsating lightly, but he did not penetrate her yet. They were face-to-face, gazing straight at each other.

"Shiki," he whispered, "you might not remember, but this is a very special day for the two of us. It is our two-year anniversary…"

"Two years?" She collected as much of her scattered sanity as she could to think like a normal person. "But, Neku, we've been going out for about three years now."

He smiled. "I'm not referring to that. But exactly two years ago today, well…" He blushed and glanced to the side for a quick second. "…that was when we made love for the very first time."

"Oh…!"

Shiki's face was already red to begin with thanks to her exertions, but now it grew even redder as she recalled that famous and important day of their lives. Free from inhibitions and social curfews, guided by love and lust, they had seduced each other beautifully and finally, after one or two understandable hiccups, they had engaged in wild rain-soaked intercourse and were forever changed people.

Ah… it was a terrific day, never to be forgotten.

She blurted, "Is this why you wanted tonight to be perfect?"

"Yeah… Today's an iconic day for the two of us," he said, "so I wanted us to celebrate it in the best way possible. That's why I had been holding back on you today."

"I… I'm so sorry, Neku…" She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "How could I forget the significance of such a day as today? It totally slipped my mind!"

"There now… It's no cause for concern. Now that you know, let's give it our all."

"Yeah… We'll have ourselves a wonderful night…"

The ghostly moonlight was their only source of illumination. Lying underneath the boy, Shiki could barely make out his features, heavily obscured so that he looked more like a silhouette. But when he happened to glance to the side, and she saw a little more of his familiar handsome face, her heart skipped another beat in happiness. Whereas some of their previous days in bed were about kinky sex – they could be real animals if they felt like it – today was an entirely different story. They weren't gunning for sex this time. They were going to make love… real romantic love… as husband and wife.

Neku's face drew closer. "And now, my love, we consummate our marriage."

"Yes…" breathed Shiki, in anticipation of their long night on the beach together. "Love me, Neku. Love me!"

With torturous slowness, he lowered himself onto her, his length pushing past her gate and progressing steadily inwards. Shiki's face contorted with joy and her lips parted in voluminous moans as the friction inside her grew hotter and better. She felt him pushing forth, forcing his way gradually through her, and the effect was noticeable on both parties. Neku was grunting in obvious pleasure and so was Shiki.

Then he pushed in at an angle and made a small jab which pressed hard against what felt like the right-hand side… and she suddenly felt her body jerk. The sensation was so unreal that she didn't know that she screamed until she heard herself.

"Oh, Neku!" she panted, "Unnh… oh, yes… "

Eventually, after a good deal of sweating and squirming and moaning, he managed to fully breach her defenses. As they lay there happily connected as one and waiting for Shiki to adjust to his girth, Neku slowly tucked his arms underneath Shiki's back to embrace her properly. She instinctively drew up her legs slightly, squeezing his hips between them.

They made a bit of small talk as they waited for their night to finally and really begin. They did their best to get each other into a good mood with their words…

Said Neku breathlessly, "We've got the whole beach to ourselves. There's no need to worry about being spotted."

Shiki shuddered as the tide crashed ashore, washing both herself and her lover between the legs. "We can be as loud as we want and it wouldn't matter."

"Just go all-out. We're meant to."

"I know… and Neku?"

"Yes?"

Shiki encircled her arms around Neku's neck, drawing him closer. She whispered two simple but very powerful words: "…I'm ready."

The conversation was over. Nothing more was spoken or needed to be spoken. He went in and out of her at a comfortable pace, and Shiki's hips gyrated accordingly to maximize the effect of his thrusts. His manhood scraped against her walls, which constricted around him at regular intervals, giving rise to intensely pleasurable feelings like no other.

They heaved. They waned. They pushed and pulled at each other. They writhed frantically like snakes to the beat of their own little erotic dance. And when they weren't kissing and chewing each other's lips to mincemeat, they were letting out the occasional scream to dispel pent-up energy that they seemed to have an unending supply of.

Shiki's cries of unabashed joy were the sweetest music to Neku's ears. "Ah… So… So good… Aaaahn!" For a brief demented moment unlike his usual self, he considered recording her love noises. They were so immensely arousing.

Every brutal assault he made was met with equal force and enthusiasm. It had become routine for them by now, but it never ceased to work wonders on their senses. When he dove deep inside, she pushed her hips upwards to meet him and deepen the impact. The same thing would happen when he pulled back. She would retract ever so slightly to intensify the hotness within as he rubbed against her walls. She also wrapped her legs around him to drive his shaft even deeper inside of her. He was now buried so far within that he was actually stroking against the very tip of her cervix, and being a sensitive girl, Shiki could feel it tickling her. How she wanted to scream.

In… out… in… out…

It was oh-so-good but they wanted more. It was up to Shiki to move things along, and so she did.

"Faster, Neku…" she huffed and puffed.

"W-With pleasure…"

He increased his thrusting speed until they were at a whole new level of satisfaction. Their nerve endings were scrumptiously shot and fried, while spasms shook their muscles and sent waves of sexual energy coursing throughout their bodies. She was panting so hard that her heart felt like it could burst out of her ribcage at any moment. Neku was pretty much the same way, but because he was the one with the greater burden, he was as stimulated as his muscles were struggling to keep the pace on the up and up.

His legs felt like they could fall off at any moment. They had been making love for about ten minutes and they could go on for, at the very most, five more, perhaps less. But he would be darned if he gave up now, not when they hadn't even reached their final crucial moment yet. And plenty of shameless goading from Shiki in the form of deliciously oversexed noises helped him to soldier on.

"Ngaaah! Oh, Neku…! Aaah… Oh, I love you! Aaahn…!"

She was getting so loud that it hurt, so he kissed her madly to put a temporary stop to the pain in his ears. Even then, she was moaning and making muffled screams into his mouth.

Shiki's body temperature was reaching dangerous levels. They were moving so rapidly now that she just knew she would explode. Inside of her, Neku's stiff manhood continued to mercilessly massage her. And the cool water from the waves that flowed onto the beach every so often bathed her ravaged opening, causing her much pleasure. As it ebbed back in the ocean, the leftover droplets of water trickled down her legs and right into her crevice, tickling her and making her even crazier with fleshly bliss.

"Sh-Shiki…!" cried Neku, his voice stuttering and unsteady, "I'm about to…!"

"Aah… Me too… Neku! L-Let's… do it together!"

And so, they poured forth all of their energy into their movements. They expended whatever remaining energy reserves they had in a final fight to reach their ultimate goal. It was approaching, looming in Shiki's walls and bubbling up Neku's loins. Any sooner, and they would be amply rewarded.

Nothing could stop them now.

Then it happened.

Their simultaneous orgasms were marked by waves of bliss that coursed throughout their bodies like lightning, so insanely acute and painfully gratifying. Neku let out a terrible roar and his body jerked crazily with every bountiful spurt of cream that erupted out of him. Because he was busy for the past several days, he and Shiki had not been able to have sex for almost a fortnight. Now that he had his first orgasm in a long, long while, he was only too glad to empty inside of her everything he had been accumulating, and there was a frighteningly substantial amount of it.

With no one to disturb and with no one to disturb them, Shiki no longer cared about manners and being thoughtful and all that nonsense. She had no more worries. So she yelled at the top of her lungs as her walls contracted strongly multiple times around Neku's length, each contraction coupled with a mind-blowingly incredible sensation. His abundance of hot semen oozed along her walls and painted them in plenty of heat and sex, and because she could actually feel it as it flooded her inside– and it was a fantastic feeling and it made her whole body tingle – she was practically driven insane.

"Neku!" she screamed, tears flowing down her face in gratitude. "AAAAH! Oh god, YES!"

It was only appropriate to say that the two lovers were in the highest of heavens. Two whole weeks of bottled up feelings and energy… burned up in an explosion of the senses. They continued to pump furiously into each other while they still had the chance, making sure to thoroughly enjoy every last thrust and every last drop. And then, all too soon, the whole thing was over and done with.

Neku collapsed on top of Shiki, and his legs could not move. Heck, he didn't even know if he had legs anymore; they were so numb he couldn't feel a thing in them. Shiki, on the other hand, was still delirious from such a heavy influx of wonderful feelings that she could do nothing but gasp for much-needed breath. Both were wheezing heavily, covered with sweat. The ocean, regardless of anything at all, continued to send its water towards the shore, whereupon they partially bathed and cleaned the couple.

And the moon shone down on them, as they lay motionless and helpless to do anything for themselves.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity of exhausted silence, Shiki touched Neku's cheek with one hand, prompting him to turn his attention towards her. She gave him a sweet, innocent kiss before saying, "Thank you, Neku… Tonight… was the best night I've ever had."

He had a weak and tired smile on his face, sweat-drenched hair matted against his forehead. "I told you, didn't I? You'd love it."

"I did… it was all so amazing… Making love with you at the beach under the moonlight…" More tears rolled down her cheeks, which he kissed away gently. "It made me so happy…"

"Shiki, you mean the whole world to me," proclaimed Neku, "I'd do anything to make you happy. Even more so now that you're my wife."

She smiled. "And I too will continue to do everything in my power to make _you_ happy… my wonderful husband."

"Shiki…"

"Let us protect each other," said Shiki. "Life isn't going to go easy on us, but I'm confident that no matter what happens, we'll stick together and solve all our problems."

"Of course. As long as we're together, we can conquer anything."

"Neku, if it's not too much trouble…"

"Hmmm?"

She giggled demurely. "Could we make love like this again tomorrow night?"

Neku flashed a good-natured smile. "You know I wouldn't say no to that."

They kissed slowly and cuddled for the next few minutes. After some quick skinny-dipping to wash off the sand and sweat, they fetched their discarded clothing, toweled off, and retreated back inside the safety of their tent where they promptly fell asleep, naked and in each other's arms.

In their sleep, they dreamt of a life together… Married life. Although the details were sketchy, they were sure of one thing: it was terrific.


End file.
